Against All Odds
by mommy4thomas
Summary: A one-shot based on the song "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins. Bella witnesses a kiss between Damon and Elena and an argument ensues where she tells him he has to make a choice. What will his choice be? Is it against the odds that he would choose Bella?


**_I do not own Twilight nor The Vampire Diaries._ **

_How can I just let you walk away,_  
 _Just let you leave without a trace?_  
 _When I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh, ooh._  
 _You're the only one who really knew me at all._

A man and a young woman stood in the entryway of a very old home. The night was dark and the only light came from the full moon that hung in the sky. Tears streamed down the young woman's face as the wind whipped through her hair. Pain and anger laced her features.

Her voice was broken when she declared, "I can't do this anymore, Damon! I can't and I won't! You have to make a choice!"

She then shook her head, "It's either me, or Elena! When you know what you want, you know where to find me…"

With that said, she spun on her heel and walked away without a backwards glance.

 _How can you just walk away from me,_  
 _When all I can do is watch you leave?_  
 _'Cause we've shared the laughter and the pain._  
 _And even shared the tears._  
 _You're the only one who really knew me at all._

Damon watched her walk away into the night. He had hoped that she would turn around and change her mind. She didn't, though and he stood there on the stoop until he could barely see her. He closed his eyes and walked into the house. There were traces of her scent everywhere and it overwhelmed him. He had done a lot of wrong things in his life, but he was sure that kiss he shared with Elena was the biggest mistake he ever made.

He grabbed the bottle of Bourbon from the liqueur stand and drank a long gulp from it. He pondered on why he had returned the kiss. It had been _her_ that kissed him and before he met Bella, it had been her he wanted. She looked just like Katherine, his first love. However, she was not as devious and evil as Katherine. She was selfless, loving and caring. That was what made him fall for her. He fought so long to win her heart and just as he was beginning to do so, Bella Swan entered the picture.

Beautiful, sweet, naïve little Bella. He smirked, remembering how she could barely stand him when they first met. She had basically told him he was the world's biggest jackass and to stay away from her. Of course, Damon being Damon did the opposite of what he was told and found ways to be around her; to annoy her and get under her skin.

Unlike Elena, who would play his flirty little games, Bella was all no-nonsense and simply told him to fuck off. She was smart and feisty and he just loved that about her.

It wasn't until she started dating the town's goodie-good two shoes, Matt Donovan that he found her alluring…

She and Matt were the perfect couple; the star quarterback and the prom queen. It always seemed that he wanted a woman he could never have. Only in that case, there was something there between him and Bella that bordered on more than just friendship.

Her relationship with Matt fizzled not long after she graduated. He knew he was partly to blame for that, but he couldn't find an ounce of regret about it. When Damon wanted something, he got it. The only exceptions had been Katherine and Elena. Katherine always wanted Stefan and well… Elena wanted them both in her pocket. He decided at one point he had had enough of that little situation and moved on with Bella.

What started as a one-night stand awakened feelings within him he didn't know existed. He fell hard and fast into the throes of love unlike anything he had ever felt before and found himself filled with desire to be a better man, someone worthy of love. He wanted to be what he thought Bella deserved. Which, as he thought on it, was a silly notion because all she ever wanted was him, just as he was.

There would always be a small spot in his heart for Elena, that he could not deny. However, it wasn't her that he loved; it was Bella. Sure, the kiss he shared with Elena earlier ignited a dormant lust for the girl, but that is all it was. Nothing more, nothing less. Had he truly lost the only one who ever knew him?

He set his drink down and as he stood watching the flames flicker in the fireplace, the memories of her smiling face came to mind. He smirked, remembering how she'd giggle when she got a little too tipsy, or break out into laughter at his sense of humor.

He turned away from the fireplace and walked up the stairs to his room, thinking back to the night she broke up with Matt. The tears had streamed down her face as she professed that she'd never find love again. When she made watery proclamations that she wasn't beautiful or smart, those chocolate brown eyes of hers cast a spell over him and he felt a need to prove her wrong. Which he did; again and again.

He inhaled deeply as he stood in the doorway of his bedroom. He already missed seeing her small stack of books near the bed. She had taken everything that belonged to her, he noted. Her products were gone from the bathroom, her clothes had been removed from his dresser and he felt empty. The feeling weighed heavy in his chest as he realized all he had left of her was the memory of her face and the scent of her on his sheets.

He shook his head as anger overrode his emptiness. He lost the one thing that mattered to him the most because Elena played her stupid little flirting game, and for the first time since he had been with Bella, he gave in to it. It was then that he realized that the girl was no better than her doppelganger, Katherine. It was then and there that his hatred towards her consumed him.

The hatred fed his anger even more as he grabbed the fire poker and proceeded to smash a lamp with it. He swiped the dresser and whatever had laid upon it came crashing to the floor. The night stand was next, and as he stood there in a state of fury, his arms raised as he was about strike it, he froze.

Something had shimmered in the dim light and caught his eye. He sighed as he looked at it, dropping the poker to the floor. He closed his eyes, hoping that he wouldn't see it when he opened them. His eyes had not deceived him, for there it was…Bella's locket.

The locket he had given her that was filled with vervain to protect her from any vampire's compulsion. The locket with the Salvatore family's crest that had once belonged to his mother. He dropped down to his knees and gingerly picked it up, letting the chain wrap around his fingers.

The reality of losing Bella hit him and his eyes watered up as he felt a painful stab in his chest. He hung his head and vowed to get her back. Whatever it took, he would do it. He would not lose her.

Her words from earlier had came to mind about making a choice. The choice had actually been made long ago, but Bella's insecurities could never truly believe that. He wouldn't deny that he had once loved Elena, but somehow, someway he had fallen for Bella. The lines were so blurred, he wasn't exactly sure when he stopped loving Elena and he could never pinpoint the moment he fell for Bella. He pursed his lips as it dawned on him that he always loved her from the very minute he laid eyes on her.

He stood up, then made his way out the door and downstairs into the parlor. He was going to go after her and tell her she was the one. He heard a screech of brakes in the distance as an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him. His heart clenched and his chest became heavy.

"Bella…" he whispered before he blurred out the door.

 _So, take a look at me now,_  
 _Well, there's just an empty space._  
 _And there's nothing left here to remind me,_  
 _Just the memory of your face._  
 _Ooh, Take a look at me now._  
 _Well, there's just an empty space._  
 _And you coming back to me is against the odds,_  
 _And that's what I've got to face._

Bella Swan walked away, and with each step she took, she felt her heart shatter bit by little bit. The wind whipped her hair and strands of it stuck to her wet cheeks. She wrapped her arms around her waist as if to hug herself. This pain wasn't new, but it was much more raw and much more potent than it had ever been before.

Her first love had broken up with her in the woods without ever looking back. He had broken her and tossed every insecurity she ever had at her. He then left town and was never heard from again. It took her months to recover and when she finally did, she felt born again, like a phoenix risen from ash.

When she moved to Mystic Falls during her senior year of high school, she had fell in love once more. While it was nothing like the encompassing, all-consuming type of love one experiences with a first love, it was special. Matt Donovan was a sweet soul and she had cared for him deeply. She even lost her virginity to him after a school dance. When things started to unravel between them and their feelings for one another changed; it had been a mutual decision to end things, to remain friends.

Bella knew that the intrusion of the supernatural world on their lives was a part of the problem. Matt never completely accepted it, whereas she embraced it. She supposed her close friendship with a certain Damon Salvatore didn't help matters, either. He was the town's resident bad boy and a vampire.

He just happened to be her best friend, as well. The one who truly knew her better than anyone else, the one person she ever confided all her deepest thoughts to. She always felt comfortable around him and there had always been a connection between them.

Somehow, that had changed over the course of time and one night when she was lamenting on how unworthy she was of love, Damon had taken it upon himself to prove her wrong and they eventually wound up in bed together. Two souls who both felt they didn't deserve love found themselves trying to prove the other wrong in one night of explosive passion and great sex.

She knew that he loved her friend, Elena. But as time went on, he seemed to be falling for her, too. Their friendship had gone from being best friends, to friends-with-benefits and somewhere along the line, they had become more. But he never completely belonged to her. Oh no, a part of him belonged to Elena. She had tried to ignore that fact many times, for Stefan was the one who had claimed Elena's heart. Or so, she thought.

She shook her head as she stood on Wickery Bridge, watching the water ripple in the moonlight. She reflected back to the night before, in Denver. She had gone with Damon and Elena to get Jeremy, Elena's younger brother. She had remembered playing cards with him when he finally heard from Rose, who was for all intents and purposes, a ghost. Jeremy could communicate with them and that was what had prompted the trip. She had information they needed.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight she saw when they found Damon and Elena outside in a passionate embrace, kissing. His shirt was unbuttoned and flowing in the wind as Elena's hands roamed about him. They didn't notice either her or Jeremy until she let out a gasp. Damon had instantly froze at the sound, meeting her with wide-eyed shock as Elena bowed her head in shame.

"Bella…" He called out so forlornly to her.

Her response had been to feebly shake her head no before she ran back to the room and grabbed her things, stuffing them into an overnight bag. She was hurt and furious by what she had just seen. As much as she had tried to deny his feelings toward Elena, the image of him kissing her had been like a slap in the face.

The truth seemed glaringly obvious, at least to her. He loved Elena. That kiss wasn't one of lust, but one of want and need. It was just too obvious.

She had heard his footsteps when he entered the room with a look of guilt about his face. She eyed him sorrowfully and simply said, "Don't."

She then picked up her bag and stomped out the room.

Elena had tried to talk to her on the way home. The attempts were useless as Bella simply ignored her and tuned her out. Her heart was broken and shattered and she drowned in that feeling, letting it overtake her.

It was sudden when Jeremy reached across the seat and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He eyed her and mouthed the words, "He loves YOU."

He then jerked his chin to Damon as he looked somberly at her. Bella had squeezed his hand in response, shrugging the comment off before she returned her gaze to the window.

The rest of the car ride had been in uncomfortable silence. When they finally reached Mystic Falls, the Gilbert siblings were promptly first to be dropped off at home. Moments later, Damon simply drove past Bella's house, to which she shot him a questioning glance. He responded with a furious glare her way as he stepped on the gas and sped to the Boarding House.

Once they got there, she had angrily got out the car and made her way inside. She went straight to Damon's room, grabbed her belongings and stuffed them into a bag, then hurriedly made her way downstairs. She stopped short on the landing as she spotted the ice-blue eyes of the vampire she loved.

"The kiss meant nothing." He spoke full of remorse.

"It didn't look like _nothing_ to me." she sneered.

"Bella…" he pleaded. He then let out a breath and spoke earnestly, "I love you! You know that."

Tears stung at her eyes as she told him, "YES! I do know that! But can you actually stand there and deny the fact you love her, too?" He said not a word as she made her way to the front stoop, with him following behind her.

"Don't go." he begged softly. "Please, don't go…"

She fought back the tears before she spoke, "I can't do this anymore, Damon! I can't and I won't! You have to make a choice." She shook her head, "It's either me or Elena! When you know what you want, you know where to find me…"

Bella came out of her thoughts as she stood on the bridge and dropped her things on the pavement with a heavy sigh and sobbed. She breathed raggedly, bracing herself against the railing. She didn't know if she had been blessed or cursed for ever meeting Damon Salvatore. The only thing she knew for sure was that she had just walked away from the love of her life and it was the hardest thing she had ever done.

Love wasn't romantic like she used to think it was. Love was giving yourself to the other completely, and loving everything about them. Love was about compromise and knowing when to give and when to take. Love wasn't selfish. But in that that moment, she felt selfish for giving him the ultimatum. She wasn't sure if she had done the right thing and knew she risked losing him. But it was a chance she had to take, even if it was against the odds he'd choose her.

She knew he loved her, and for someone like him, love did not come easily. He was an irrational person by nature. Although, when it came to love itself, he was quite rational, even wary of it. She understood this, because she had been burned badly by it once before, just like he had. She accepted that about him, and accepted the love he gave her, even though she knew he had feelings for Elena. However, she wanted his heart only for her. It wasn't a matter of being first choice or second choice.

Maybe it was selfish, she thought. But she only wanted him to be hers and if she were to be honest, she didn't think Elena was worthy of someone like Damon. She was too judgmental and wanted to change who he was into who she wanted him to be, whereas Bella accepted him just as he was.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the truck coming down the road. All she saw were it's bright headlights when she turned around at the sound of screeching brakes. She felt the sudden impact of the vehicle, then there was an excruciating pain that shot down her spine and she felt as though her chest had exploded. The truck had knocked her clear through the railings of the bridge and the last thing she remembered was the sting of the cold water as her body was thrown into it before her world went black.

 _I wish I could just make you turn around._  
 _Turn around and see me cry._  
 _There's so much I need to say to you,_  
 _So many reasons why._  
 _You're the only one who really knew me at all._

Damon found himself at the end of Wickery Bridge just as he saw a truck slam Bella into the railing. He stood frozen on the spot as he watched her body freefall into the water below.

"Noooo!" he shouted.

To him, the whole thing had been in slow motion. Each second more agonizing than the last. He quickly thought back to the last time she had been healed with vampire blood, in hopes that she might've had some in her system. Realizing that she had not had any for a couple days and it was out of her system, he frantically blurred to the bridge and jumped into the water. He wasn't going to let Bella die, at least not a permanent death. Not now, not without her knowing that she was his; that his choice had been made. She needed to know that it would always be her.

He swam through the inky darkness until he found her. He then gently grabbed her and swam to shore. He pulled himself up on the embankment and kneeled, situating Bella so that her head was in his lap, and once he gazed down at her, he took in her pale face and lifeless body.

"No, no, no" he whispered, brokenly.

Damon gently lay her on the ground and begun CPR. He wouldn't lose her; he couldn't. At least, not without a fight and he sure as hell wasn't going to let her die. Even if it was against all odds she wouldn't make it. He was much too tenacious and stubborn to just let her slip away into death. Not after everything that happened between them. They both deserved the happily ever after that Bella read about in those stupid books of hers. He wasn't about to make this some goddamned Shakespearian tragedy.

Though, as the thought struck him, he knew without a doubt that he'd end his existence if she didn't make it. He had lost much too much in his lifetime and the idea of her not being in his life was a horrendous thought. He knew it would be a miserable reality to suffer without her.

He continued with the chest compressions and blew air into her lungs every so often. When he heard a faint heartbeat from her, he thanked whoever was in charge of the universe. When she coughed and a mouthful of blood spilled out, he hurriedly rolled her over on her side. He could barely hear the low thump, thump, thump of her heart, It was so faint that a doctor probably wouldn't have picked up on it, but at least it was steady. He gingerly picked her her up and cradled her against his chest. He then bit into his wrist and placed it upon her mouth.

"Drink it, Bella!" he ordered. "You got to fight…please…for me?! There's a lot I need to tell you."

He sighed with exasperation as the blood spilled down out of the corner of her mouth.

He hissed lowly, "Do you really think I will let you die on me? Huh?"

He then glared down at her. "You drink the damn blood! Because if you don't…" he chuckled mirthlessly, "you die and so will I. Do you want that on your conscious?" He spouted the words at her as if he was goading her in a fight.

Suddenly, he felt her gently suckle on his wrist. He closed his eyes with relief before smirking down at her, "That a girl…"

He kissed the top of her head, "Keep drinking, then you can die all you want. You got it?" Tears stung his eyes as he missed the usual smart-ass reply she would usually give him.

 _So, take a look at me now._  
 _Well, there's just an empty space._  
 _And there's nothing left here to remind me,_  
 _Just the memory of your face._

All Bella knew was darkness until there were images that flickered before her, Damon smirking at her as she laughed at one of his sarcastic comments, Damon staring at her from the dance floor, watching her being crowned prom queen. Damon clapping in the audience when she got her diploma, Damon's face after the first time he kissed her, and then there was the anguished expression she had seen upon his face just before she turned and walked away. Damon, Damon, Damon. Even unconscious, barely alive, she thought of him.

She could hear his voice, "Well Brown Eyes, if I didn't know any better I'd say you'd fall for the bad guy instead of the Boy Scout, if given half a chance." Oh, how he loved to taunt her about dating Matt.

"What's wrong, Kitten? Not scoring enough with the quarterback?" The image of him smirking and those damn ice-blue eyes dancing in amusement flashed in her mind.

There was darkness again and she started to feel weightless, as if she could float away at any moment. That's when she saw her father, then flashes of her friends appeared briefly before she heard his husky voice again.

"I love you." she heard, along with the image of him standing before her on her birthday, holding up her locket while his eyes met hers.

The weightless feeling returned as his image faded and was replaced by a bright light. A light so bright, it beckoned her to it and just as she was about to let it envelope her … she heard his pleading voice, "Please, don't go."

The light disappeared and she found herself staring down at herself and Damon. He was frantically doing chest compressions to save her. The thought that he was there stunned her. The look on his face told her two things. One, he loved her and two, he would be lost without her. She shook her head as she realized what it would do to him if he lost her.

She watched him prop her body up and bite into his wrist. She flinched at the sound of the crunch it made. She saw the desperation on his face as he placed the bloodied wrist at her mouth. She then watched as the blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. It was a scene that broke her heart.

Bella was at a crossroads…Should she fight to stay alive, fight for the one she loved or try to find her way back to the light? She wanted so badly to fight; to go to him. Damon would be the only one she could ever love wholly. That fact was undeniable.

After his kiss with Elena, could she simply look past it and move on from it? Could they be together with whatever interferences came their way? Could their love keep them together against all odds?

She pondered these thoughts, all the while wondering if love was worth the pain that came with the joy. Her heart answered for her with a resounding _yes_. Though, her mind was screaming with the question of whether or not Damon himself was worth it.

The question was soon answered for her as she heard him, "You drink the damn blood because if you don't… you die and so will I. Do you want that on your conscious?"

A world without him wouldn't be the same, in her opinion. Her world wouldn't be the same. It was at that instant she came to the conclusion that he was worth it and so was she. No matter what had happened with him and Elena, she knew that it was her he loved.

Another voice called out to her, "Go to him, child. Go to him." The voice was melodic and enchanted her. She spun around, looking for the source, but found nothing. "Go!" it commanded and it was then that her world went black once more.

Bella didn't know exactly how much time had passed, but she could taste the familiar flavor of coppery, sweet blood on her tongue. Instinctively, she swallowed down. It seemed to awaken her, because she could feel the warmth of something holding her, and could smell the scent of leather and bourbon. She knew exactly who it was; the only being she could ever truly love. His name echoed in her mind, _Damon, Damon, Damon_ …

Suddenly, she felt a surge of pain hit her body. She wanted to scream out in pain, but she couldn't. All she could do was weakly swallow down the blood that flowed into her mouth. The blood started to take effect, causing the pain to slowly diminish. So, she drank and drank until there was no more pain.

Still, she was so very weak and tired, and even though the blood healed her; she couldn't help but feel that her last minutes as part of this world were upon her. The feeling lit a fire within her, made her fight through the darkness and struggle to open her eyes just once more. She wanted the last sight she saw on this earth to be the face of the one she loved.

She opened her eyes and gazed at the vampire before her. She couldn't take her eyes of him and she studied his face. She loved his blue eyes that sparkled like the finest crystal, his full sensual mouth, and his strong jawline. He was a beautiful man, even more so with the locks of black hair that fell onto his forehead. She met his eyes and held his gaze as she slowly slipped away back into the darkness.

 _Now, take a look at me now,_  
 _'Cause that's just an empty space._  
 _But to wait for you is all I can do,_  
 _And that's what I've got to face._

The relief he felt when she begun to heal was unfathomable. Slowly, her tense body begun to loosen up and she let out whimpers of pain as she drank from him. He saw the cuts and scrapes heal first, then the bruises started to fade until they were no longer visible. He felt her stiffen slightly as she stopped drinking. Her eyes opened and met his.

Damon held her gaze for a moment before he heard her heart stop. "No…" he whispered and pulled her to him.

"No…no…no!" he screamed and shook his head as he cradled her in his arms. "Don't you dare die!"

The anguish was almost too much to bear as the tears welled up in his eyes. It felt as though a thousand stakes had hit him in his chest at once. He knew there would be nothing worth living for. At least not until he rained a bloody vengeance on the people that took her from him.

He drew in a breath as he heard the sirens in the distance. He glanced up and saw the police cars and the ambulance on the bridge. "A bit too late, aren't ya?" he muttered.

He sat there on the ground holding Bella in his arms. He just couldn't bear to part with her. He heard a rustling and snarled at the sound.

"Damon?"

He looked up into the face of one very timid Liz Forbes, Mystic Falls' very own sheriff. His voice was bitter as he stated, "You're too late. She's dead."

She squatted down before Damon and gently reached for Bella's wrist to take her pulse. He glowered at the woman. "Don't touch her!" he hissed.

She sighed, then swallowed thickly, "The EMT's are coming. They'll have to pronounce her death and we need to contain the scene…"

She peered at him empathetically, "Did you give her blood at all?"

"What do you think?!" he shouted incredulously. "Of course I gave her blood… and she still died!"

The sheriff's eyes widened in shock, then she glanced at Bella's lifeless body. "Damon, is it possible she's in transition?" she asked softly.

He snapped his head up as his heart filled with the tiniest bit of hope. It glimmered in his eyes while he answered her.

"Yes…" he spoke, his voice barely a whisper.

He couldn't allow hope to flood him completely. No, hope had been a bitch to him in the past and he be damned to allow himself to feel it. Yet, a spark of it ignited as the idea of his blood possibly saving her filled his head.

He cradled Bella in his arms and slowly stood up. He sighed heavily and glanced towards the bridge, where there were police cars, a firetruck, and an ambulance. He saw the deputies restrain and cuff the driver. He fumed silently as he watched the man drunkenly stumble forward onto the squad car. All the man had was a gash on his forehead and an unsightly bruise alongside his face. Damon hardly found it fair that the man escaped the accident with only a cut and a bruise, while the love of his life was dead.

He snapped his head to Liz, "Get rid of them. Tell the drunk bastard up there that he hit an animal and find out what the girl saw. If she saw Bella, you get your daughter to compell her."

"Damon! I can't do that!" she protested.

He glowered at the blond woman in front of him, "You _can_ and you _will_. Would you rather I issue my version of justice?"

"You'd kill him?!"

"Now tell me Liz, why do you ask that when you know the answer?" he then arched an eyebrow in her direction before he spun around to head back to his home.

"What are you going to do with her?" she asked as her eyes trailed to the girl in his arms.

He spun back around to face her, shrugging, "I'm taking her home and I'm gonna clean her up and hope to God she wakes up."

"And what if she doesn't, Damon? What do we tell her mother and step-father? What do we tell the town?"

"She _will_ wake up….No need to make contingency plans, yet. Just tell Elena to lay low for a few days… Renee thinks they went on a road trip to Denver." With that, he stalked through the woods back to the Boarding House.

Once he was there, he gently laid Bella on his bed and started a bath. He went to his closet and pulled out one of his black button down shirts and laid it out on the bed. He walked back to the bathroom and added some bubble bath to the water and set out some towels. He grabbed a bar of soap from the soap dish and his shampoo from the shower and set it next to the tub.

He run a hand through his hair as he stared at the water pouring out of the faucet. He couldn't bear to glance beyond the door way to the lifeless body of the woman he loved. He sighed heavily and clenched his fists. He was angry. Angry at himself, angry about the kiss, angry at the fact that Bella walked away from him, angry at the man that hit her. Most of all, he was angry because she really had no idea just how much he meant to him and he had never told her. All he could hope for was a chance that she would hear him out when she woke up.

Once the tub was filled, he wearily walked over and approached the bed. He stood there for a moment as he looked upon her. She was breathtakingly beautiful, even in death. Her dark hair framed her heart shaped face and the moonlight shining through the window made her skin glow with a certain radiance. He brushed his fingers along her cheek.

"I love you, Bella." he whispered brokenly and bent down and to place a kiss upon her forehead.

He methodically undressed her and tossed the wet clothes onto the floor. He then picked her up and carried her to the tub and placed her in it. There, he washed away the stench of the salt water from her body and her hair, and washed her face, removing any traces of dried blood from the accident. He gingerly ran the washcloth across her lips as he washed away his own blood from where he had fed her. Once he was done, he drained the tub and picked her up. He held her in his lap as he sat on the toilet to dry her off.

He then gently laid her on the bed and dressed her in his shirt. He made his way downstairs and poured himself a drink, grabbed the bottle and walked back to his room to begin his vigil at her side. He would not leave her and he wanted to be the first thing she saw when she woke up.

 _Take a good look at me now,_  
 _'Cause I'll still be standing here._  
 _And you coming back to me is against all odds._  
 _It's the chance I've got to take._

Bella awoke the next morning, hearing a bird chirping loudly outside. She also heard the shallow breaths of someone in the room. She inhaled deeply and the scent of Damon enveloped her. At this realization, her eyelids fluttered open and there she saw him standing in front the window, with the light of the sun reflecting against the glass. The glare hurt her eyes so she averted her gaze, only to see the icy blue ones of the vampire she loved.

The events of the night before came rushing to her as she remembered the accident. The image of seeing bright headlights danced before her, and it seemed as though she could still hear the sounds of the tires screeching. She recalled the stinging chill of the water and Damon's valiant and desperate attempts to save her.

As she got her bearings, she noted that there was a smidgen of something sweet on her tongue. _Damon's blood_ , she thought. Blood wasn't the rust, salt and coppery taste she was used to. If anything, it reminded her of the richest milk chocolate, maybe with a touch of hazelnut. She swirled her tongue around her mouth, liking the flavor. Her thoughts begun to twirl inside her head.

The kiss, the breakup, the accident, Damon's attempt to save her…

She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that he didn't save her. She had died and it dawned on her that she was in transition. Her heart was a steady thump in her chest and it echoed within her ears as the thought raced through her mind.

She heard a swoosh in the air and he was instantly at her side. He took her hand and softly spoke, "Easy there, Bella. You'll be okay."

She opened her eyes and they moistened with tears as she looked upon him. Her emotions were in a turmoil. She was more than bitter that someone had taken her life in the blink of an eye, she was remorseful for giving Damon an ultimatum and simply walking away without a glance. She was frightened at the thought of becoming a vampire, but the one emotion that overrode them all was love for the one in front of her. She swallowed thickly and squeezed his hand. Her lip trembled when she spoke, "I'm so sorry, Damon."

His eyes widened in shock, " _You're_ sorry?! Oh sweetheart, you are not the one who fucked up. That was all on me!"

A tear rolled down her cheek, "I walked away from you! I left you….that makes me no better than Katherine!"

"Oh, no, you don't! Do not even compare yourself to that evil, little, slut! You are so much more than that, Bella."

He then wiped her tears away with his thumb and blew out a breath, "I don't know what you're going to do, but I need to tell you this…No matter what you decide, you need to know that I love you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me." He smiled wanly as he continued, "You waltzed into this town and turned my world upside down. You told me I was a jackass and never put up with my shit…"

He chuckled then.

"You brought out the best in me. You never wanted to change who I was…you accepted me for who I am and what I am. You know what I have done in my life, you have seen with your own two eyes what I am capable of. Yet, you never lost faith that there was good in me. I never thought myself to be the good guy or someone worthy of love. You proved that theory of mine wrong… time and time again. You taught me that I am deserving of it and it was because of you I know what the gift of real love truly is. No matter what you decide, I want you to know that and I want to thank you for loving me."

He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "I will never love anyone the way I love you. You need to know that."

She held her breath as she gazed at him and then slowly blew it out. "I know, Damon. I know."

She sat up and met him face to face. "I saw you trying to save me! You told me to drink your blood and if I didn't, you would die, too!"

She reached out and cupped is face, "I could see the love and desperation in your eyes when you were trying to save me. There was a white light and…I-I walked to it and all I could hear was your voice in my head begging me not to go. Then, that's what I saw you and I knew in my heart this world wouldn't be the same without you in it. _I_ wouldn't be the same without you. There was this voice telling me to go to you and I did. I knew I was going to die and the last thing I wanted to see was you."

She scooted closer to him and rested her head against his. "Don't you see, Damon? You are my world. The only one I could ever love. Yes, you _are_ a jackass and I don't expect that to change. You wouldn't be you if it did…"

She smiled, "You are the only one that ever truly knew me. You always know how I feel, how I think and," she laughed, "you always know what to say to piss me off. You get me when no one else ever has. You are my best friend, my heart and most importantly you are a part of my soul." She ran her fingers through his hair, "I love you. Nothing you've ever done, or will ever do, will change that."

He met her eyes as he licked his lips, "The kiss with Elena…."

Bella shook her head, "It meant nothing; I know that, now. But I also know that she was an important part of your life and she will always be in your heart. I have to accept that, even if my insecurities flare up. It won't be easy, but I know you love me."

"That I do…" he murmured. He cupped her face and met her eyes. "Are you completing the transition?" he asked bluntly with a hint of apprehension behind it.

"And give up a chance to be with you forever?" she said with a teasing lilt to her voice.

She hoped it would lighten the mood and when she saw his smirk spread across his lips, she knew she had succeeded.

He chuckled, "Even vampires can't promise forever, Bella."

"We'll take what we can get."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Look at me, Damon."

He met her eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"We have a chance at forever, and it's a chance I'm willing to take. Are you?"

He cocked his head to the side as if in thought before replying, "Yes, it is."

Then he kissed her and it was the start of what could be an eternity together.

 _Take a look at me now._

* * *

 ****** "** _Against All Odds" was written and performed by British musician, Phil Collins. It was released in the year 1984. It's lyrics are used without permission._

***Special thank you to Karen and Jodie for their help with this story. I appreciate it greatly.

** This story is dedicated to my lovely husband, who loves me against all odds. He is the love of my life, and I am thankful to have him in my life, even if he not-so-graciously told me that he needed a Prozac after reading this. I found that rather amusing.


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